Ars Veruna was a male human who held the position of king on the planet Naboo, situated in the Mid Rim. He governed prior to the reign of Queen Padmé Amidala. During Veruna's time as king, Sio Bibble, a philosopher, was chosen as the Governor of Naboo. During his time as ruler, Veruna built a large royal library collection within a tower located behind the Theed Royal Palace. Due to his reputation as a corrupt king, Veruna was assassinated before Amidala was elected as queen in 32 BBY.
He shared a name with Veruna, one of Naboo's three moons.
The first canonical mention of Ars Veruna was in Sio Bibble's entry in the 2016 reference book titled Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded, authored by Pablo Hidalgo. The text that mentions Veruna is a reprint from the Star Wars Legends reference book Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, which was written by Simon Beecroft and released in 2011.
Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded from 2016 indicated that Veruna was the predecessor of Amidala. Additional reference materials released that same year stated that his rule spanned thirteen years, concluding when she won against him in an election.
Earlier references to Veruna do not align with the material that was published during and after 2018. The fifty-fourth edition of Star Wars Helmet Collection magazine, which was published that year, retconned the prior information that Amidala won against Veruna in an election. It instead stated that he was assassinated before she was elected, a plot point taken from the 2012 Legends novel Darth Plagueis. The 2019 canon novel Queen's Shadow, written by E. K. Johnston, established that Naboo monarchs can only serve a maximum of four years, or two terms that last two years each. The 2019 reference book Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition placed Bibble's election as Governor during Veruna's reign, but it did not confirm Veruna as Amidala's direct predecessor, nor did it specify how long he reigned. Johnston's 2020 novel Queen's Peril, which takes place in 32 BBY, stated that Sanandrassa, a queen who served a single term and was elected when Queen Réillata retired after one term, was Amidala's direct predecessor.
Queen's Peril placed the beginning of Réillata's first term in 36 BBY, and Sanandrassa's in 34 BBY. This timeline is inconsistent with James Luceno's 2014 canon novel Tarkin, which is set in 14 BBY. In the novel, Wilhuff Tarkin recalls a conversation from "twenty years earlier," in which Senator Palpatine briefly mentioned the Naboo king who was in power at the time: "Even on my own Naboo, the king finds himself embroiled with the Trade Federation and off-world bankers with regard to our plasma exports." This quote is superficially similar to events depicted in Darth Plagueis, also written by Luceno. However, it has not yet been confirmed in canon if this king is Veruna.
In Legends continuity, Veruna was first mentioned in the 1999 novel Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala, written by Jude Watson. He later made his first appearance in the 2000 short comic "A Summer's Dream," published in Star Wars Tales 5 by Dark Horse Comics. The novel Darth Plagueis eventually gave Veruna the first name Ars, and he plays a significant role in the novel.
- Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 31 (Starship Fact File: Naboo N-1 Starfighter) (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 47 (Starship Fact File: Naboo J-Type 327 Nubian)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 2 (Databank A-Z: Alzoc III–Antilles)
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 54 (Weapons & Uniforms: The Naboo)
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
- Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition